ATAPS changes?

Hi @CheerBear

Indeed it is all a little confusing! My understanding is that exactly what is offered may depend on your individual primary health network (PHN). One way to find out more might be to contact your local PHN or see if you can find the info on their website. You can locate your PHN using the link below:

http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/content/phn-locator

I hope that helps a little!

It would be great to hear if anyone has experience of accessing any of these programs through their PHN.

Thanks heaps for replying @Former-Member ☺ I didn't think to look for a contact number for my PHN (face palm myself!). I'll give them a call and see if I can find some answers to my questions.

I thought it may depend on the PHN when I tried to find one name (program/service etc) that has replaced ATAPS and I couldn't. Instead I found names like Psychological Support Services, Psychological Therapies Services, Accessible Psychological Interventions, Targeted Psychological Support Sevices etc. So many acronyms :face_with_rolling_eyes:

It was confusing enough already - this seems so much harder to understand and work with!

I went off on a hunt for more info about this today including a call to someone from my PHN to ask them about the changes and services.

What I found is that what was ATAPS is now a similar service but trying to take a more targeted and population specific focus. It looks like the populations focused on vary across PHNs though there are many similarities. Target groups that I found include people living in rural and remote communities, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, people experiencing homelessness, people who identify as LGBTQI, people experiencing family violence, CALD communities, and refugee and asylum seekers.

The eligibility criteria also seems to differ between PHNs though I found some similarities across most that I looked into, including health care card holders or people with a low income, and people experiencing moderate mental health issues. I found at least one PHN where the criteria also included people who do not have access to the NDIS.

I also found some exclusion criteria in some PHNs including people with severe mental health issues or people experiencing an acute episode, as well as some diagnosis specific exclusions in one PHN I looked at. For people who fall into these categories, there are more intensive support services available.

I called someone from the PHN I live in and found that what was ATAPS is still 12 sessions (6 + 6). I asked about whether I could access these (if I meet the eligibility criteria, which I may not now) if I have used some or all of my 10 Medicare subsidised sessions through Better Access, and I was told "maybe" and that it is up to the discretion of the person processing the referral. Many of my questions were answered with vague responses, and information that was a little different to what was written on the PHN website.

A GP referral is needed in order to access any of the services provided where I am, with it being recommended I attach a support letter from my psychologist or psychiatrist if I can also. A GP referral to access services looks pretty standard across most of the networks.

So that's where I got with it all this afternoon, which I thought I'd share in case anyone reads this thread wondering about ATAPS (and wanted to sit though this long and maybe kind of boring post 😉).